At work, the department’s org chart lists three positions just like mine. I’m the only one in the position now. This means I’m really busy and, in all honesty, its OK with me. I’m learning a lot and kicking work out the door.
But, and there’s always a but, isn’t there? There is someone on the team that just can’t get the hang of what in the heck she’s supposed to do and how I can help/do the tough technical stuff. Seriously, if someone is really good at something and it takes them zero time to do it, then why not work with them? Why not make it easier on yourself? We’re at a point where this person is seriously impacting the rest of the team. Our boss is being driven crazy. I’m not getting enough notice to take care of things and so I have to run around even faster than usual to pry a spot into my jammed-up schedule to take care of this person’s stuff. A new hire is shadowing the having-a-hard-time person and that is not a good way to start off.
It’s to a point where I wonder if the hard-time person is a)on some sort of medication, b)sustained a head injury in the past couple of years, or c)is about to be fired. A, B, and C are not meant to be funny. There is something seriously weird and wrong going on. The sad part? We want people to succeed. We lift people up because we expect the same extended hand when we need it. At some point, though, and I think we’re really close to it now, we have to let go and hope the person has enough wherewithal to get out before a pink slip lands on a desk.
I’ve been in this position once before and it was a really long time ago when I worked for a bank. I was a temp. There were two admins in the department and I did whatever they needed to support the rest of the team. An admin went out on maternity leave and I covered for her. The other admin’s flaws came into sharp focus. When everyone can see the lackluster work, it’s not a good thing. That admin was fired. I was hired. The lackluster work is coming into focus. I have a good idea how this story is going to end.